Traditional handheld vaporizing devices, also known as e-cigarettes, are battery-operated portable devices comprising a battery, an atomizer, and an e-liquid cartridge. Handheld vaporizing devices are designed to deliver nicotine by producing an aerosol as a result of vaporizing a liquid solution known as an e-liquid. E-liquids usually contain a mixture of propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, nicotine, and flavorings, while others release a flavored vapor without nicotine.
Traditional handheld vaporizing devices generally use a heating element known as an atomizer that vaporizes e-liquid to produce a nicotine aerosol for inhalation. An atomizer consists of a heating element responsible for vaporizing e-liquid and wicking material that draws the e-liquid from the cartridge. A heating element in the form of a resistance wire is coiled around the wicking material and is connected to a power source. The e-liquid is absorbed into the wicking material by capillary action. When the device is activated, the heating coil heats up and vaporizes the e-liquid that has been absorbed by the wicking material, creating the aerosol for inhalation.
Some prior art handheld vaporizing devices use a cartomizer, which is a device consisting of an atomizer and a cartridge integrated into a single component that connects to a power source. Prior art atomizer or cartomizer heating elements do not accurately control the heating and vaporization process. Significant variation in the quality and consistency of the wrapping of the heating wire around the wicking material, the differences in the electrical resistance of the wire, and the differences in the efficiency and absorption characteristics of the wicking material greatly affect the quantity or volume of the aerosol and the perceived quality of the aerosol that will be produced by the atomizer. Lack of temperature control may result in uneven heating and overheating of the heating element, which in turn may result in creation of hazardous chemicals in the vapor. For example, overheating of the e-liquid may result in creation of formaldehyde, inhalation of which is hazardous to the user's health.
In prior art handheld vaporizing devices, a user needed to inhale air through the device to activate the heating elements of the device in order to vaporize the e-liquid. It may take a user several puffs on the prior art device before it will generate sufficient vapor, resulting in inefficiency and inconvenience to the user.
The present invention is directed to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art by providing a novel handheld vaporizing devices incorporating an electroconductive textile heating element, e-liquid reservoir made of elastically deformable materials, and improved temperature and heating control system including an auto-on feature to prime the device to deliver aerosol on demand by activating the heating element upon sensing the user's touch on the device, without waiting for the user to take the first inhale through the device. The electroconductive textile heating element according to the present invention replaces the prior art wick and coils atomization systems and draws e-liquid by capillary action, and allows more even and direct heating of the e-liquid than traditional wicking systems.